The new Key Food supermarket will open at 9 a.m. Friday at 155 Bay St., Tompkinsville. Staten Island Advance

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A new Key Food supermarket will open Friday at 9 a.m. at 155 Bay Street, at Victory Boulevard -- a welcome development in the Tompkinsville/St. George neighborhood.

This new supermarket will open at 9 a.m. with company executives and representatives of Staten Island elected officials. It will offer meat and deli departments,
fresh produce, and free parking, according to Key Food officials. As part of the grand opening celebration, the first 200 customers will receive free movie tickets.

"This neighborhood deserves the best
and we are very proud to open our newest store on Bay Street," said Key Food vice president of business development Gino Palummo.

Added store owner Mike Said: "We are very excited to be
a part of the Key Food family. This
neighborhood deserves a convenient supermarket that offers high quality
and low prices. We could not be happier to open our doors and be a part
of the community."

In an Advance report in December -- when the store was originally expected to be a Fine Fare Marketplace supermarket -- residents in surrounding communities, and adjacent Bay Street Landing, applauded the news. "The
location makes it convenient for thousands of people to walk from their
homes and thousands more to come by train," said Theo Dorian, president of the St. George Civic Association, citing the nearby
Tompkinsville stop of the Staten Island Railway.

In an email blast to members of the civic association Thursday, he expressed his enthusiasm for the new store: "The market looks
beautiful inside and provides a much needed food shopping option in an area
that has called out for one for a long time," he said.